Electronic impulse counting devices



Jan. 22, 1957 u. BALDE ELECTRONIC IMPLUSE coumms nsvrcms Filed Sept. 21, 1954 2 Shets-Sheet 1 km a nr 1957 u. BALDE 2,778,952

ELECTRONIC IMPLUSE COUNTING DEVICES Filed Sept. Bl, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 2,778,952 ELECTRONIC IMPULSE COUNTING DEVICES Ulysse Bald, Zurich, Switzerland, assiguor to Mithra A.-G., Zurich, Switzerland Application September 21 1954, Serial No. 457,458

Claims priority, application Switzerland June 15, 1-954 1 Claim. -(Cl. 250-217) The present invention relates to an electronic impulse counting device.

For the counting of electric impulses cathode raytubes .have become known in which a luminous mark is :formed on a fluorescent screen by a cathode ray beam which is deflectable stepwise by means of electric impulses. Since the luminous mark after each impulse is at another, but predetermined, spot ,of the screemthe result vof the counting can be .read ofl visually. Such tubes have become known e. g. as decimal tubes, the luminous mark being capable of appearing in them in ten diflerent spots of the fluorescent screen denoted by the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

A disadvantage of the counting tubes described is that the result has to be read oh. at any time by an operator which is time-wasting and complicated, and which limits the possibilities of application of thecounting tubes.

It is the principal object of the present invention ,to provide an electronic impulse counting device Which is independentof being monitored by an operator and which allows the said impulses to be-counted =full y automatically, and at an increased rate.

It is another object of the invention to provide an electronic impulse counting devicethe counted impulses of which can be stored automatically for future reference, or can be used directly, after being duly amplified, for the control or operation of anotherdevice.

With these and other objects in ,view I provide an electronic impulse counting device, comprising in combination: a cathode ray tube having a fluorescent screen, .a cathode, an apertured screen arranged between the said fluorescent screen and cathode, and beam deflector means connected to the incoming impulses and adapted to deflect under the influence of .the said hrpulses the electron beam emitted by the said cathode stepwise through the said apertured screen on to the .said'fluorescent screen, light-compartments separated from one another arranged at the outside of the said fluorescent screen, and .photoelectric converters arranged in the said light compartments, facing the said fluorescent screen.

Preferably the openings in the said apertured screen and the said photo-electric converters in juxtaposition with the same are arranged in two parallel rows, and also a casing is provided enclosing the said cathode ray tube and the said photo-electric converters as a whole, protecting the same from external light.

A preferred form of my electronic impulse counting device comprises in combination: a cathode ray tube having a fluorescent screen, a cathode, an apertured screen arranged between the said fluorescent screen and cathode, and beam deflector means connected to the incoming impulses and adapted to deflect under the influence or the said impulses the electron beam emitted by the said cathode stepwise through the said apertured screen on to the said fluorescent screen, a casing closely enclosing the said cathode ray tube from outside, with recesses forming light compartment separated from one another,

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in juxtaposition to the openings in the said apertured screen, and photo-electric converters mounted in the said recesses, facing the said fluorescent screen.

Preferably the said casing is detachably attached to the said cathode ray tube proper, and the said photoelectric converters are detachably inserted in the said recesses of the said casing. Preferably also the said recesses flare out firom the side adjacent the said cathode ray tube towards the said photo-electric converters.

These and other objects and features of my said inventionwill be clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof illustrated by Way of example, in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. '1 shows a frontal view of an electronic impulse counting device,

Fig. -2 is a cross section along the line lI--II of Fig. 1 with the cathode ray tube omitted,

Fig. 3 is an analogous cross section along the line I II-IiII of Fig. '1,

Big. 4 shows-the cathode ray counting tube per se in a frontal view,

Fig. '5 is a diagrammatic representation of a cross section along the line 'VV in Fig. 4 on a. scale enlarged in comparison therewith.

Fig. 6 illustrates diagrammatically part of the cathode ray tube in a perspective representation.

For thebetter understanding of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 3, reference is made first to Figs. 4 to 6, in which a conventional cathode ray counting tube 20 is illustrated as made use of in this device. The tube 20 has a base 22provided with contact pins 21 and carrying .a glass bulb 23. Part of the glass 23 is provided on'the inside with a fluorescent screen 24. The glass bulb 23 contains a cathode 25, .an anode 26 and focussing electrodes 27 .for the formation of a bundled band-shaped electron beam 28. The same passes through an aperture of the anode .and eventually hits upon the fluorescent screen '24 where it produces a luminous mark. Two deflector plates '29 and 30 allow to deflect the beam 28 laterally by electrostatic action. Coaxially .to the walls of the glass :bulb 23 a slotted diaphragm 31 it provided WhiOhJhBS ten slots 32 for the passage of the beam 28. An anode 33, likewise coaxial to the walls of the glass bulb .23, is arranged between the slotted diaphragm 31 and the fluorescent screen 24, and is likewise provided with apertures 34 and 35 through which the beam 28 may pass. The five apertures 34 are arranged in an upper .row, and the five apertures 35 ,in a lower row. Moreover the tube 20 is provided with protective grids 36 and 37 as well as with an auxiliary anode 38 in order to restore :the beam at any time into .one of the extreme posit-ions of deflection. Opposite the apertures 34 of the anode .33 the numerals 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 are arranged onzthe .glass bulb, and likewise th nu e 1. 3, 5. 7 and 9 opposite the apertures 35.

When to the deflector plate 29 of the same voltage is applied as to the anode 33, while the deflector plate 30 is on a lower potential, the beam 28 is deflected towards the plate 29 and passes through a slot 32 as well as through the aperture 34 denoted 0, on to the fluorescent screen. When applying an electircal positive impulse on to the deflector plate 30, the beam 28 is somewhat deflected towards this plate 30 in such a manner that it now passes through the aperture 35 of the anode 33 denoted 1 on to the fluorescent screen 24. The new position of the beam is stable until a new impulse reaches the deflector plate, whereby the beam 28 is again deflected another step in the same sense as before. It then passes through the aperture 34 denoted 2 on to the fluorescent screen. After the ninth impulse the beam passes through the aperture 35 of the anode 33 denoted 9, and by the tenth impulse it is restored again by the auxiliary anode 38 in a known manner to its initial position in which it passes through the aperture of the anode 33 denoted 0 on to the fluorescent screen. When applying electrical impulses to the deflector plate 30, the'luminous markaccordingly movesstep by step on the screen 24 from one numeral on the glass bulb to another so that the result of the counting can always be read otT visually.

According to Figs. 1 to 3, on such a cathode ray tube 20 a casing 40 is mounted which contacts that part of the bulb which is provided withthe fluorescent screen 24. The casing 40 consists of non-magnetic material, and is connected detachably to the tube 20 by means of a clip 41 and of attachment screws 42. A resilient intermediate layer 43, e. g. of rubber, is interposed between the glass bulb 23 and the casing 40 and clip 41,'re'spectively. This intermediate layer has ten interruptions 44, through which the luminous mark of the fluorescent screen 24 can be viewed. In the casing 40, light-cornpartments 45 and 46 are arranged as recesses which join up each with one of the interruptions 44. According to the type of tube 20, the light-compartments 45 are arranged in an upper tier and the light-compartments 46 in a lower tier and these light-compartments flare out in the casing 40 as seen from the side of the tube in such a manner that a photo-electric cell 47 can be inserted into each of the light-compartments. For this purpose resilient sleeves 43, e. g. of rubber, are inserted into corresponding recesses of the casing 40, into which photo-electric cells 47 are inserted detachably. The photo-electric cells 47 are arranged in two parallel tiers and are accordingly held in operative position by the casing 40 itself. According to Fig. l, the casing 40 consists of three mutually superimposed parts 40a, 40b and 40c, but it might just as well be made of a single piece of material.

The manner of operation of the device described is as follows: The light emanating from the luminous mark on the fluorescent screen 24 falls on to the light-sensitive parts of a single photo-electric cell 47, and creates therein a potential difference which can be amplified and used for the control of any external electric circuits. When the luminous mark, upon applying of electrical impulses to the deflector plate 30 of the tube 20, moves stepwise on the screen 24, the light of the luminous mark falls at any time on a different photo-electric cell 47. According to the result of the counting as derived from the position of the luminous mark, one or the other photoelectric cell is consequently energised, so that the result of the counting is expressed electrically.

The potential differences generated by the photo-electric cells 47 can be used e. g. for the automatic control of machines for the punching of tapes or cards as used conventionally for punched card-and punched tape-office machines.

An advantage of the counting device described consists in that the counting of the impulses can be carried out at a high rate, e. g. 30,000 per second, at which electromagnetic apparatuses directly connected up could not possibly react. By means of the device described the result of interest can, however, also be transmitted to slower working electrical devices, without an operator having to read off the result of the counting from the cathode ray tube 20. A further advantage resides in that the result of the counting can be temporarily stored by means of the photo-electric cells and of an electric memory connected thereto, and can be made use of at any moment desired for another purpose, which is of great importance for electronic calculating machines.

Instead of the photo-electric cells 47, other photomechanical converters, e. g. locking layer cells or photo transitors, could be used, if desired. The casing 40 need not always be attached directly on the tube 20. When counting tube ZO-makes the luminous mark appear on the fluorescent screen in a single horizontal or vertical row only, the photo-electric converters, too, may be arranged in a single row, which, however, is not always of advantage in view of spatial conditions.

In order that the effect of external light may be eliminated, it is convenient to enclose the tube 20 as well as the photo-electric converters 47 as a whole in a protective screen, which keeps the detrimental external light off.

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

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An electronic impulse counting device comprising in combination: a cathode ray tube having a fluorescent screen, a cathode, an apertured screen arranged between the said fluorescent screen and cathode, and beam deflector means which under the influence of the incoming im pulses are apt to deflect the electron beam emitted by the said cathode stepwise through the said apertured screen on to the said fluorescent screen, a casing closely enclosing from outside light the said cathode ray tube with recesses forming light compartments separated from one another in juxtaposition to the openings in the said apertured screen, and photo-electric converters mounted in the said recesses, facing the said fluorescent screen, the said recesses of the said casing forming light-compartments flaring out from the side adjacent the said cathode ray tube towards the said photo-electric converters.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,070,800 Juchter Apr. 27, 1937 2,480,424 Simmon Aug. 30, 1949 2,534,369 Ress Dec. 19, 1950 2,571,723 Ionker et al Oct. 16, 1951 

